MILAN (AP) 鈥� The Rev. Paolo Venturelli never gets too close when he visits 鈥淭he Last Supper.鈥� The Dominican friar prefers to stand away from where it was painted, on the opposite side of the room once used by members of his order for meals.
鈥淔rom there, the painting looks as though it were painted in the middle of the refectory,鈥� said Venturelli of the masterpiece depicting the Gospel story of Jesus’ final meal with his apostles. 鈥淚t unleashes all kinds of human and spiritual .鈥�
He lives in Santa Maria delle Grazie, a convent and in where worked in the 1490s at the request of Ludovico Sforza, then ruler of the city.
鈥淭he Last Supper,鈥� which illustrates the biblical account of Jesus announcing that one of his apostles will betray him, is located in the convent鈥檚 original refectory. Such rooms still serve as dining spaces where monastic communities gather for food, prayer and reading. Yet at Santa Maria delle Grazie it is no longer part of the friars鈥� daily life.
After the Napoleonic suppression of religious houses in the 18th century, the refectory passed into state hands. Today it is known as the Cenacolo Vinciano and is managed by Italy鈥檚 Regional Directorate of Museums of Lombardy.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 go often because we have to ask permission to enter,鈥� said Venturelli, who can stay inside for only 15 minutes like any other visitor because of preservation rules.
鈥淚t no longer belongs to us.鈥�
Living beside 鈥淭he Last Supper鈥�
A dozen priests and nine novices make up Santa Maria delle Grazie鈥檚 current Dominican community. Dressed in the iconic white robes associated with their order 鈥� or brown hooded capes in winter 鈥� friars are regularly seen walking inside the basilica.
Not all tourists visiting the Cenacolo make a stop at its adjacent church. But among those who do, some look at Venturelli and the other friars with curiosity.
鈥淲e just came from the cloister and saw one of the friars taking care of the garden,鈥� said Maria Teresa Bruzzi, who traveled from Genoa with her husband in mid-February.
鈥淲e came to see Leonardo鈥檚 Last Supper but we also wanted to see the church because it鈥檚 quite special,鈥� she added. 鈥淭his is a Renaissance church that combines two styles and was very important for the Sforza family.鈥�
According to Venturelli, visitors to the sanctuary are often blown away by its architecture. 鈥淲hen they visit the chapel of Our Lady of the Grazie, they can see that the beauty around them was built to give glory to the one who is beautiful in and of himself 鈥� God,鈥� he said.
Tickets for the Cenacolo are often sold out and the museum is closed on Mondays, preventing last-minute visitors to Milan from seeing the painting. The basilica, in contrast, opens daily and welcomes those wishing to attend Mass or go to confession.
鈥淐onfessions are very much sought after and we maintain this service for the citizens of Milan but also for all visitors,鈥� said the Rev. Llewellyn Muscat, prior of the Dominican community at Santa Maria delle Grazie.
Venturelli offers confessions to Italian-language speakers. Muscat can support those speaking English, Italian and Maltese, his mother tongue. And while other friars offer their services in French and German, the prior said they all make an effort to understand everyone.
鈥淲e cannot hold back the graces that the Lord gives to each one of us,鈥� Muscat said.
A life of study and prayer
Dominicans arrived at Santa Maria delle Grazie as the complex was being built in the 15th century. However, the order had established an earlier presence in Milan.
Those first friars鈥� devotion to St. Catherine of Siena is still visible in the basilica. Frescoes depict her alongside St. Catherine of Alexandria, associated with the Dominican tradition of study and considered the patron saint of philosophers.
That intellectual legacy is also evident inside the convent itself. A few steps away from the steady flow of tourists, dozens of shelves filled with books stand in the halls.
鈥淩eading is part of our identity,鈥� Muscat said.
Neither he nor his fellow friars follow a strict daily schedule. But study, prayer and their ministry shape their routine.
Priests like him celebrate Mass on a regular basis and assist nearby parishes when clergy are needed. Others oversee the novitiate program, teach at local Catholic institutions, or collaborate with Santa Maria delle Grazie鈥檚 cultural center, which organizes conferences and events.
鈥淲e try to offer the spiritual push that people need,鈥� Muscat said.
A bond beyond art
The fact that Leonardo was commissioned to paint 鈥淭he Last Supper鈥� inside a Dominican convent was no accident. Venturelli said most of his order鈥檚 refectories have this scene depicted on their walls. And according to Muscat, it echoes Dominican principles.
鈥淔or us, it does not awaken an emotion about something that belongs to the past,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is like a continuation in which we eat together with Jesus and his apostles, as though his words are also spoken to us.鈥�
Muscat, like any other visitor who stands in front of Leonardo’s mural, feels deeply moved by it.
In his case, however, it is not only the art but also a shared history that strikes a deeper chord. The painting, like the convent that houses it, has endured centuries of upheaval and has required collective efforts to survive.
鈥�’The Last Supper’ is a call to my personal conscience and a call to the conscience of the order,鈥� Muscat said. 鈥淏ecause here in the Grazie there are no individuals, but a community that works and welcomes.鈥�
The order鈥檚 current refectory is housed away from tourists, deep inside the labyrinth-like convent where the friars find the quiet needed for reflection and prayer. It is a modest, wide room, with several square tables instead of a long one, like the table depicted in 鈥淭he Last Supper.鈥�
It鈥檚 nice, Muscat said. But who knows, he added, maybe one day the old refectory will belong to them again.
____
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP鈥檚 with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
